There’s no two ways about it: This week is absolutely massive for Manchester United’s campaign.
An FA Cup tie at Old Trafford against Liverpool awaits Erik ten Hag’s team, with the competition being the only trophy that the Red Devils can still win this season.
Luckily, the squad has been boosted this week with the return of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Rasmus Hojlund.
That should be a welcome relief for Ten Hag and Co but they will still be without Anthony Martial who is absent courtesy of a groin problem. That hasn't necessarily been a bad thing for the Red Devils, however.
Anthony Martial’s salary at Man Utd
In short, Martial’s time at Man United has been hindered by injuries more often than not, with the French attacker unable to provide consistent availability.
Nonetheless, the number nine was rewarded with a new contract at the start of 2019, after scoring nine goals prior to that during the 2018/19 campaign.
The contract was for five years, and therefore it’s set to expire in the summer, but his weekly wage is a huge £250k, according to Capology.
This equates to an earning of £13m per year, the joint-fourth highest wage at Man United, with only Casemiro, Raphael Varane, and Marcus Rashford earning more.
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ByJack Salveson Holmes What Martial earns compared to Hojlund
The contrast between Hojlund’s and Martial’s impact this season is clear to see, with the Dane becoming a vital player in the United rebuild project.
On the other hand, the “invisible” Martial, as called by football creator Liam Canning, has only played 444 minutes in the Premier League, with an illness and groin surgery making him miss 12 matches.
Hojlund has also had his injury problems this season, which has left Ten Hag without a true number nine at times, but as you can see by the table below, his influence when available has been fantastic, particularly in 2024.
Matches Played
30
19
Goals
13
2
Assists
2
2
Games missed
11
12
Weekly wage
£85k
£250k
After a tricky start to life in England, the 21-year-old has been one of the most in-form players in the league since scoring against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, netting in all of his last six Premier League games, and winning the February Player of the Month award.
Whereas, the former Monaco star hasn't played since the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in December, and that could end up being his last game for the club depending on the extent of his most recent setback.
But, as displayed in the table, Martial still earns around three times more than the number 11, despite scoring 11 goals fewer across all competitions this campaign and clearly offering a lot less than Hojlund when playing.
With Martial being unreliable both in terms of on-field performances and availability, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co simply must let go of the 28-year-old rather than extend his contract by the optional extra year.
As a result, with Hojlund set to be the long-term answer to the striker role, a reliable backup who can take some pressure off the young attacker and act as a rotation option will likely come in for Martial.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
